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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · temple · hand · staff · stem · cold · current · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. current — happening now
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. object — a thing
  6. hand — help
  7. object — an aim
  8. staff — employees
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. hand — in cards
  14. current — electric
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stem — to come from
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. object — to protest
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stock — goods
  21. cold — not warm
  22. staff — employees
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com